Julia is entering her senior year at Chatfield High School. During the spring semester of 2022, she served as a High School Leader for Falcon Bluffs Middle School's Outdoor Lab experience.
She's returning to Outdoor Lab this fall to serve as a leader one more time!
In her words.....
Having the opportunity to attend Outdoor Lab both as a sixth-grader and as a High School Leader has been such a rewarding experience. As a sixth-grader, I remember endless joy surrounding the countless activities we embarked on and creating numerous friendships with my fellow classmates and my High School Leaders as well. Going as a High School Leader this past year, I was able enjoy all the same things, as well as, create a new understanding for how much the Sixth Graders enjoy Outdoor Lab.
Being a Leader allowed me to build trust between the sixth-graders and myself to help them enjoy their time more. Seeing the sixth-graders loving to explore the outdoors and be engaged with what we were teaching them was so nice to see. I remember when I got to go to Outdoor Lab, I loved listening to my Leaders and Interns teach us about all the wildlife and history of the Outdoor Lab campuses. I distinctly remember as part of my sixth-grade experience that my High School Leaders took the time to make sure that everyone in our bunkhouse felt comfortable and knew that they could trust them.
That first night in the bunkhouse, we all sat on the top bunks and talked with each other; my High School Leaders making sure that they knew everyone’s name in our cabin and that we knew theirs. They wanted to develop a true connection. They for sure did make that connection as I remember feeling so sad when we went to leave at the end of the week because I wouldn’t be able to see them again. I wanted to make sure that I took that experience with me to my time as a High School Leader and I believe I did.
Before we even left for Outdoor Lab, I made sure to connect with the sixth-grader by learning their names, asking them what they were most looking forward to or what they were nervous about, and playing games to make them feel comfortable around me. These experiences at Outdoor Lab have allowed me to learn about how important it is for individuals to have someone that they trust and how crucial having positive role models is for the students to learn from.
